World Sleep Day (the Friday before the northern hemisphere vernal equinox) is an annual event organized by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society, formerly World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), since 2008. The goal is to celebrate the benefits of good and healthy sleep and to draw society's attention to the burden of sleep problems and their medical, educational, and social aspects, and to promote the prevention and management of sleep disorders.
Sleeplessness
It was estimated in 2019 that sleep deprivation cost the US over $400 billion a year with Japan losing $138 billion, Germany $60 billion, the UK $50 billion, and Canada $21 billion.
In an article in The Guardian in 2019, World Sleep Day was criticized as helping to turn sleep into a commodity and pushing the idea that everyone should aspire to a single unbroken block of sleep, an idea which historians say is a recent invention.
Annual celebration
World Sleep Day is observed annually on the Friday before the March Equinox. The first World Sleep Day was held on 14 March 2008. Events involving discussions, presentations of educational materials and exhibitions take place around the world and online.
| Year | Date | Slogan |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 14 March | 'Sleep well, live fully awake' |
| 2009 | 20 March | 'Drive alert, arrive safe' |
| 2010 | 19 March | 'Sleep Well, Stay Healthy' |
| 2011 | 18 March | 'Sleep Well, Grow Healthy' |
| 2012 | 16 March | 'Breathe Easily, Sleep Well' |
| 2013 | 15 March | 'Good Sleep, Healthy Aging' |
| 2014 | 14 March | 'Restful Sleep, Easy Breathing, Healthy Body' |
| 2015 | 13 March | 'When sleep is sound, health and happiness abound' |
| 2016 | 18 March | 'Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream' |
| 2017 | 17 March | 'Sleep Soundly, Nurture Life' |
| 2018 | 16 March | 'Join the Sleep World, Preserve Your Rhythms to Enjoy Life' |
| 2019 | 15 March | 'Healthy Sleep, Healthy Aging' |
| 2020 | 13 March | 'Better Sleep, Better Life, Better Planet' |
| 2021 | 19 March | 'Regular Sleep, Healthy Future' |
| 2022 | 18 March | 'Quality Sleep, Sound Mind, Happy World' |
| 2023 | 17 March | 'Sleep Is Essential for Health' |
| 2024 | 15 March | 'Sleep Equity for Global Health' |
References
- ^ World Sleep Day, accessed 19 March 2011
- "World Sleep Day: Sleeplessness Costs the World More Than a Trillion Dollars a Year". News18. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- "Why the sleep industry is keeping us awake at night". The Guardian. 9 March 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- "Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream". Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- "StackPath". worldsleepday.org. 23 October 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- Reuters
- "March 19 2010 is Third Annual World Sleep Day". Thaindian News.
- "Philips official sponsor of World Sleep Day 2011". 18 March 2011.
- ^ "World Sleep Day® is March 15, 2019".
- "World Sleep Day 2015 toolkit" (PDF). Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- "World Sleep Day 2021 [Hindi]: जानिए नींद से जुड़े रोचक तथ्य व Quotes". Tube Light Talks. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
- "StackPath". worldsleepday.org. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- "World Sleep Day March 18, 2022". 2015-09-16. Retrieved 2023-03-18.